Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Oculus TV launches this month with a ton of streaming partners

Given that the main function of an Oculus headset is to let you escape reality for a while, using one to watch TV seems almost pedestrian. Yet it's a feature that's often overlooked, until now. Oculus TV is launching later this month and it's got a r...

Oculus Go standalone VR headset is now available for $199

Oculus' first stab at a standalone VR headset is finally here after several months of hype. The Oculus Go is now available to order from the company's website for buyers in 23 countries, with US pricing set at $199 for a version with 32GB of storage...

Oculus Rooms gets Hasbro games and a major redesign

Alongside the Go's launch today, Oculus also announced an updated version of Rooms, its app for hanging out with friends in VR. The new app sports a swankier design, and it also features Hasbro board games, which will really make it feel like you're...

Instagram allows you to post to Stories from other apps

Today, Instagram announced a new way to share your favorite moments to Stories. You can now post to your Instagram Story directly from a third-party app, so you can easily share what you're doing, what you're enjoying or what you're listening to with...

Instagram adds video chat to its stable of social features

Live video has been a popular feature on Instagram, and now the social network is taking that one step further. Soon, Instagram will roll out video chatting, allowing a user to talk one-on-one or with a small group of people directly through the serv...

'Jurassic World: Blue' tells a dinosaur's story on Oculus VR headsets

Now that Oculus Go is here, you can expect a deluge of experiences built to take advantage of affordable VR -- and one of the first will be enticing if you're a Jurassic Park fan. Felix and Paul Studios (the team behind Jurassic World: Apatosaurus) h...

Facebook is adding AR to Messenger for #brands

Facebook is bringing augmented reality to Messenger. Rather than being a feature you can use when talking to friends though, the first application of the tech is for #brands. Facebook puts it like this: "When a person interacts with your business in...

Facebook Messenger will begin translating English to Spanish soon

Messenger's built-in AI is getting a new trick. The M digital assistant will suggest translating a message to your native language if you get a message via Marketplace in a different tongue. It'll start with English to Spanish and roll out to users i...

Sony adds a slew of PS2 games to PlayStation Now

Sony's PlayStation Now hasn't been of much use for nostalgia trips unless most of your memories revolve around the PS3, but that's about to change: the first wave of PS2 titles is available through the game streaming service. They're not must-have b...

Facebook will let users see which sites are tracking them

Facebook is kicking off its F8 conference by heading off everyone's most pertinent question: What is the platform doing to address user data concerns? The answer, it seems, is Clear History, a new feature the social network is building to give users...

UK warns Zuckerberg will face summons if he doesn't testify

The UK has reiterated its request for Mark Zuckerberg to testify before its Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Parliamentary Committee and this time it says if the CEO declines, he'll be compelled to appear the next time he steps foot in the country....

Watch Facebook’s F8 opening keynote at 1PM ET

After a few turbulent weeks for Facebook, it's now time for the company to host its annual F8 developers conference in San Jose, California. And kicking off the event is none other than embattled CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who's expected to talk about a wi...

Alexa can remember birthdays and other things for you now

Last week at a conference in France, Amazon announced a new Alexa feature that makes it possible to use the smart assistant as repistory for small bits of information. That feature is starting to roll out today to users in the U.S. as “Remember This.” The skill goes like this: say, “Alexa, remember Brian’s birthday […]

Atari reveals games lineup and pricing for its new VCS console


The VCS, the hat which Atari’s thrown into the retro console ring, will be available for pre-order at the end of the month after a year of speculation. The company has also finally revealed a few of the games which will be playable, although its description of what else the console will be capable of raises more questions than it answers. The details: VCS pre-orders officially open up May 30 on Indiegogo. Those who take advantage of the date will be able to pre-order either the black Onyx version or the wood-front Collector’s Edition. Some packages will also come with…

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Amazon wants Prime Book Box to be your kid's summer reading companion

Amazon is a little late to the (non-food) subscription box fad, but that won't stop it from shipping children's books to your door. Prime Book Box Kids is targeted at parents, and will deliver either a pair of hardcover books or a quartet of board bo...

Attack of the clones

Lego – or LEGO – is expensive and kids – my kids in particular – want a lot of it. Our basement looks like the returns department of a major toy store, covered from corner to corner with toys and, most notably, and endless minefield of little building blocks. And we enjoy building models and […]

Roger Ver’s Bitcoin.com no longer labels BCH as the real Bitcoin


Following a heated backlash and some legal threats, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) proponent Bitcoin.com has updated its block explorer page to remove any language suggesting that BCH is the real Bitcoin (BTC). Bitcoin.com (not to be mistaken with Bitcoin.org which is dedicated to the development of BTC) came under fire from the cryptocurrency community after it recently made confusing changes to its website, labelling BTC as “Bitcoin Core” and BCH – simply as “Bitcoin.” Unlike Bitcoin.com, most cryptocurrency trackers simply refer to Bitcoin as BTC and Bitcoin Cash as BCH. This sentiment is shared by pretty much everyone in the space – with the exception of…

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Sprint and T-Mobile: A coalition of also-rans

Once upon a time, two wireless carriers were struggling to survive in a cutthroat business. They tried going it alone, and even almost married other players. But they seemed to find kindred spirits in each other and soon began a courtship. After mont...

Google’s pricey Clips ‘smart camera’ gets a $50 discount

There’s nothing altogether unusual about a holiday-related sale, but Google’s decision to drop its Clips camera by $50 through May 13 does leave one wondering if the company’s had some trouble moving the first-generation product. Announced alongside the new Pixel phones back in October, Clips finally hit the market at the end of February. Google […]

Disney plans food-focused online series for young parents

Today, Disney announced its latest digital brand: Disney Eats, which is a food-centered online channel and website that focuses specifically on families with young kids. The company is putting its sights squarely on the generation of viewers who grew...

Researchers are creating an antidote for alcohol poisoning


A team of researchers from universities in California and China is developing a pair of pills that break down alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. In a recently published white paper the group successfully demonstrated that it’s possible to speed up the sobriety process by aiding the liver in processing ethanol. How it works: The antidote is delivered in the form of two separate nanocapsules. The first delivers a pair of enzymes that convert alcohol into acetaldehyde, and the second contains an enzyme that converts acetaldehyde into acetate. This is basically how the body processes booze (ethanol) anyway — the pills…

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